FUMC Newsletter - Sterling City, Texas 76951

Please look through this newsletter, attend, worship, and follow us @

www.sterlingmethodists.com or check out or Facebook page

Sterling City First United Methodist Church

Church Services

Sunday School- 10am

Worship Service-11am

Issue includes:

Prayer List

Pastoral Letter

Monthly Celebrations

Monthly Calendar

Grace Copeland

Kiely Johnson

Cynthia Browne

Lupe Escobar

Susan & Tommy Wyatt

Bill Eubank

Rosemary Rodriguez

Shawna Walker

Sam Lucero

Florence Bodine

Emery Holt

Hunsley Strickland

Haley Stallings

Ramone Navaro

Kent Beard

Carol Brown

John Blackstock

Grover Johnson

James Thompson

Wade Jones

Jim Gerner

Adela De Hoyos

Anna Robledo

Eileen Sonberg

Skeete Foster

Chad Kane & Family

Ollie Schneemann

Jo Foster (Nana)

Mike & Jaynell Bodine

Beverly Pruitt

Donnie Hinderliter

Donna Parker

Christy Wright

Jim Wright

Albert & Phillip Estrada

Mary Rodriguez

Jere Thomas

Ronnie Kilpatrick

Dr. Pat Moore

Bill Jones

Bitsy Durham

Dolly Rauch

Luke Allred

Prayer Request

A Prayer for the New Year Lord,

Whether we’re leaving behind a year

of joy and blessing or trials and difficulties,

we pause to give you thanks.

We thank you that you are always with us

every single day of every single year.

Please remind us of Your presence in the year ahead,

even when life is busy.

We are so thankful that we serve a God who makes

things new and gives us the grace of fresh starts and

new beginnings.

Be glorified in our lives this year.

In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Pastor’s Pen January 2nd, 2018

Christmas Is Not Your Birthday!

I’m so proud of you, church! Our “Christmas Is Not Your Birthday” campaign raised $8,000! Half will go to

fundraising at the amazing Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso and half will go to the UMC Microfinance Con-

nection. Both of these ministries bear incredible fruit amongst some of the poorest people. Well done! I

plan on doing this again next year!

Leadership Training

You will see in the district portion of this newsletter that there is a leadership ministry training in San Angelo

THIS Saturday. Although I will be out of town, if you are in leadership of FUMC SC, you are encouraged to

attend. Anyone is welcome! Please contact Amy Moore in the District office if you can at 325-486-1500.

Great information is presented and there is no cost.

Upcoming

We will have our first meeting of the new council and a pot-luck meal on February 4th after worship. I’ll be

getting information to the folks on our leadership council soon. Please come if at all possible!

I’ve also sketched out a tentative sermon schedule through Easter. I’m hoping to have some cards printed

out with this information before Sunday…if our water is restored soon and we can regain some sense of

normal around here! :)

2018 FUMC Sterling City

Upcoming - 1st Quarter

January 7th – Justin DeLoach

January 14th – Ross Copeland

“Exodus to Identity”

January 21st – The Miracle at Marah

January 28th – Whatchamacallit

February 4th – Water of Life

February 11th – The Lord is My Banner!

February 14th – Ash Wednesday & Valentine’s Day

February 18th – 1st Sunday of Lent - Due Delegation

February 25th – The Mountain of God

“Jesus Before His Arrest”

March 4th – Jesus Ate

March 11th – Jesus Served

March 18th – Jesus Prayed

March 25th – Palm Sunday – Jesus Wept

April 1st – Easter Sunday – Jesus Conquered!

Pastor’s Pen Litany of Thanksgiving

We had to cancel service on New Year’s Eve due to inclement weather. We were scheduled to do a modified Wes-leyan Thanksgiving service. I include below the Litany of Thanksgiving (changed to first person) and the Wesleyan Covenant Prayer. Perhaps you could put these up, print them and put them in your Bible, or in some other way re-peat them daily for a week, or a month, or as long as you wish. They are tremendous prayers!

Litany of Thanksgiving

I give thanks for all of God's mercies. O God, you have been gracious to me through all the years of my life. I thank

you for your loving care, which has filled my days and brought me to this time and place.

I praise your Holy name, O God

You have given me life and reason, and set me in a world filled with your glory. You have comforted me with family

and friends, and ministered to me through the hands of my Christian sisters and brothers.

I praise your Holy name, O God

You have filled my heart with a hunger after you, and have given me your peace. You have redeemed me, and called

me to a high calling in Christ Jesus. You have given me a place in the fellowship of your Spirit and the witness of your

Church.

I praise your Holy name, O God

You have been light in darkness and a rock of strength in adversity and temptation. You have been the very Spirit of

joy in my joys and the all-sufficient reward in all my labors.

I praise your Holy name, O God

You remembered me when I forgot you. You followed me even when I tried to flee from you. You met me with for-

giveness when I returned to you. For all your patience and overflowing grace:

I praise your Holy name, O God

The Covenant Prayer

I am no longer my own, but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me where you will, put me to work, put me to

suffering; let me be employed for you or set aside for you, exalted for you or demoted for you; let me be full, let me

be empty, let me have all things or let me have nothing. I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure

and disposal. And now God, Father, Son, and Spirt, you are mine and I am yours. So be it. And let the covenant made

now on earth be ratified in heaven. Amen!

It is a privilege being your pastor! Stay tuned to all the great happenings in this new year!

Rev. Jim Noble

2nd LaNae McClure 1st David & Bettie Foster

4th Margaret Ann Foley 5th Wesley & Karen Hodges

5th Greg Peters 6th Bill & Melissa Orsak

5th Shanna Bynum 6th Roger & Judie Williams

5th Rowdy Ferguson 8th Mike & Jaynell Bodine

6th Lynn Gotcher 22nd Ray & Linda Sparks

6th Tristan Himes 25th Gary & Cindy Foster

8th Martha Lawson 28th Aaron & Cari Hart

9th Lorrie Bratton 28th Ross & Meredith Copeland

10th Kody Horwood

16th Aiden Louder

17th Jo Foster

23rd Judie Williams

25th Heather Gotcher

26th Betsy Thompson

28th Ashley Glass

31st Denise Parham

Women’s Bible Study will resume January 9th.

Ross Copeland will be presiding January 14th.

January 14th - Youth will be going to San Angelo to meet with

FPC Youth for bowling, pizza and fellowship. We will be

meeting at the church @ 3pm and leave from there. Please let

Kim know if you will be going and if you can be a driver.

Men’s Bible Study Breakfast will resume January 17th.

February 4th - Potluck and council meeting after worship in

the FLC.

**Keep an eye out for the West District Newsletter via email.

Lots of information and important dates!**

Please notice the information regarding the Leadership Training – all are welcome!

December Financial Report will be sent out in separate email.